Android 4.4.3 KitKat Update: Everything You Need to Know

Google still isn’t talking about the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 10, and Nexus 10 Android 4.4.3 KitKat update but it’s pretty clear that one is on the way. While we wait for Google to detail its next Android 4.4 KitKat update, we want to take a look at the most important things Nexus owners, and owners of other Android devices, need to know about Android 4.4.3 KitKat.

All the way back in November, Google released several Android 4.4 KitKat updates. Android 4.4.1 KitKat emerged just a few days after the release of the company’s Nexus 5. Shortly after its arrival, Google replaced the software with Android 4.4.2 KitKat, a newer version of Android 4.4 KitKat and the update that rolled out to all of the company’s most current Nexus smartphones and tablets including the Nexus 5, Nexus 4, Nexus 7, and the Nexus 10.

Since November, that is where Google’s Nexus devices have remained, despite numerous complaints from Nexus 7, Nexus 4, Nexus 5, and Nexus 10 users. Android 4.4.2 KitKat is not bug-free piece of software. There are a number of issues that are not only impacting Nexus users but Android 4.4 KitKat owners as a whole. Unsurprisingly, Android 4.4 KitKat owners have been looking for a bug fix update, an Android 4.4.3 update to rectify the issues.

While Google has confirmed fixes for an assortment of Android 4.4 KitKat issues, it hasn’t confirmed another Android 4.4 KitKat update. Fortunately, thanks to leaks and a U.S. carrier by the name of Sprint, we know that the company is planning a bug fix update for Android 4.4 users in the form of Android 4.4.3 KitKat.

Over the past month or so, Android 4.4.3 KitKat has become a fixture amongst the Android community as Nexus owners and other Android 4.4 KitKat users wait for Google to deploy the inevitable update. And while we still haven’t seen an Android 4.4.3 KitKat release, it appears to be close.

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With that in mind, we want to take one last look at the most important details regarding Android 4.4.3 KitKat, the confirmed but unconfirmed successor to Google’s Android Android 4.4.2 KitKat update successor.

Which Devices Will Get Android 4.4.3 KitKat?

For the moment, there is only one device that is confirmed to be getting Android 4.4.3 KitKat at some point down the road. That device is the Sprint Nexus 5.

Two weekends ago, out of the blue, Sprint announced that it would be deploying a new Android build to its Nexus 5. The build, KTU84F, corresponded to leaked the Android 4.4.3 KitKat build number that sources say is likely the final version of Android 4.4.3 KitKat from Google. In other words, Sprint confirmed Android 4.4.3 KitKat before Google confirmed the update.

Credible rumors suggest that the Sprint Nexus 5 won’t be the only device getting Android 4.4.3. Weeks ago, we saw the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 Android 4.4.3 KitKat updates leak out. The leak hinted at a widespread release from Google but did not confirm one. It was a report from Android Police that took things a step further.

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The publication, citing inside sources, claims that the update will land for the Nexus 5, Nexus 7, Nexus 4, Nexus 10, Google’s Play Edition devices including the HTC One, and the Moto X. This makes sense given that Android 4.4.2 KitKat problems aren’t just limited to the Sprint Nexus 5, the other Nexus 5’s and the Nexus 7.

In other words, the Android 4.4.3 KitKat update should land for Google’s stable of Nexus devices, Google Play Edition devices and likely the Moto X and perhaps the Moto G as well. Motorola’s devices were among the first to Android 4.4.

Other devices may get Android 4.4.3 KitKat at some point down the road but non-Nexus and non-Google Play Edition devices likely have a much longer wait ahead of them. It will be up to individual manufacturers like HTC, LG and Samsung to confirm any plans for Android 4.4.3 KitKat releases.

In summary, here are the devices that are likely going to get Android 4.4.3 KitKat:

Nexus 5

Nexus 7 2012

Nexus 7 2013

Nexus 4

Nexus 10

Google Play Edition Devices (HTC One, Galaxy S4, Moto G, etc)

Moto X

Android 4.4.3 KitKat Release Date

This is the big question that is on the minds of Nexus owners in the United States and around the world. As of right now, there is no concrete Android 4.4.3 KitKat release date.

The Android Police report noted, back on April 9th, that the update had moved into testing outside the Android team and that the release was weeks away. Since then, we’ve seen a number of new clues but nothing that’s outed a specific Android 4.4.3 KitKat release day from Google.

Google also recently updated its Edu Device Setup application on the Google Play Store. It was updated several days ago and the device’s change log includes the following references:

Support for new Google Spreadsheets

Support for Android 4.4.3 and non-Nexus Tablets

Minor UI updates and bug fixes

That comes straight from the horses mouth so it does look like an Android 4.4.3 KitKat release date is indeed close. That said, there are a few things that Android 4.4.2 KitKat users should know.

Google typically does not roll out updates on the weekends, Nexus devices usually get the update first, and Google usually rolls out its updates in an extremely slow manner. Sprint’s Nexus 5 update was supposedly going to extend from April 14th to April 21st, something that makes perfect sense given Google’s Android update history.

Android 4.4.3 KitKat Update Features

Without an official change log from Google, we’re still not sure exactly what will be on board the Android 4.4.3 KitKat update though thanks to Android Police and Sprint, we have some solid leads.

It’s an extensive list and one that lines up with many of the promises that Google made on its product support forums. The company promised a number of fixes to Nexus users though it declined to say when it would be offering them. Android 4.4.3 KitKat, at this point, appears to be the update that Android 4.4 KitKat update that users have been looking for.

What’s Next, After Android 4.4.3 KitKat?

Android 4.4.3 KitKat may be the last update for Android 4.4 KitKat. Rumors suggest that Google might be planning another Android update this summer to coincide with the arrival of the heavily rumored Nexus 8 tablet from HTC. An early rumor pointed to Android 4.5 but that remains unconfirmed.

Google may change the look of the stock Android icons for Android 4.5.

2 COMMENTS

I sure hope that Android 4.4.3 has a fix for Bluetooth which will leave the BT Keyboard connect continuously when you select it. The most recent versions of Android including 4.4.2 tend to turn the keyboard off after a period of time sometimes less than a minute after I have included it, and in fact remove all reference to the External Keyboard in the Settings menu. I have to turn the keyboard off and on again to inform my Nexus 10 tablet that I really want to use that device. Sometimes while I am watching a video on You Tube, a screen will come up about setting the input device. I am using the Nexus 10 with continuous power in, so the power used by the BT is not an issue. That is obviously a bug and should be fixed. Without continuous BT, the device has a poorer user rating than a computer with a wireless keyboard that is always activated and allows text to be entered anytime.